Pneumatic package-holder.



No. 67l,987. Patented Apr l6, |90|.

mu. WALL.

PNEUMATIC PACKAGE HOLDER.

(Application filed May 31 1900) {No Modei.) 2 Shaets-Sheet l.

fl L WITNESSES EYS No. 67!,987. Patented Apr. l6, I901. G; H. WALL.

PNEUMATIC PACKAGE HOLDER.

(Application filed May 31, 1900) (No Model.) 2 sheets sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HENRY WALL, OF CADILLAC, MICHIGAN.

PNEUMATIC PACKAGE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,987, dated April16, 190] Application filed May 31, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY WALL, acitizen of the United States,and a resident of Cadillac, in the county of Wexford and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and Improved Pneumatic Package-Handler, ofwhich the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

Our purpose of the invention is to provide a drop-platform for vehicles,especially such as are employed to carry freight-parcels, mailmatter,and the like, and to provide means for raising the platform and lockingthe samein its raised position, the platform being free to drop whenreleased by the locking device either by its own weight or by the weightof the material placed thereon, the means employed for raising theplatform being such that a heavy load on the platform may be raised withit.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide guides for the platformwhich will insure a direct vertical movement and equalize the movementsof the end portions of the platform.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide simple means forpneumatically raising the platform and to so construct the guide devicesthat they will operate with the least possible friction.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a car having the improvedplatform applied, the platform being in its lowered position. Fig. 2 isa transverse section through the car at the side door-openings thereof,the platforms being in vertical section and one of the cylinders beingpartially broken away, the platform at one side of' the car being shownin its lower position and the platform at the opposite side of the carlocked in its upper position. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of thatportion of the car between the side floor-openings, and Fig. 4is atransverse section through a slightly-modified form of platform.

Serial No. 18,558. (No model.)

Arepresents a portion of abaggage-car having the usual side openings 11and doors for closing the said openings. The floor 10 of the car at eachside opening 11 is cut away, forming recesses 12 the full width of thedooropenings 11, and a platform 13 is adapted to fill each of therecesses 12 and constitute a continuation of the floor, the platformshaving suitable grooves or depressions therein to permit the side doorsto move freely. Each platform 13 when used in connection with arailway-car is provided with a roller 14 at its bottom adapted to engagewith a rail when the platform is lowered, so that the platform in itslowered position will not be subjected to wear should the car he inmotion when the platform is lowered or previous to the platform beingraised.

A casing 15 is located at each recess 12. These casings extend down asuitable distance below the floor 10 of the car and serve as guides forthe baggage or parcels, preventing the same from striking the bottom ofthe car when the platforms are raised. These casings consist,preferably, each of aback mem ber Ct and outwardly-extending sidemembers a. The width of these casings, however, is preferably less thanthe width of the platforms, as shown in Fig. 2.

A rod 16 is attached to each platform at each end. These rods extendthrough openings 17 in the floor of the car and into the interior of thecar, and each rod of each platform 13 enters a cylinder 18, two of thesecylinders being placed at each side of the car, one adjacent to eachjamb of the side openings in the car. The rods 16 are virtuallypiston-rods and are provided at their upper ends with heads 20, as shownat the right in Fig. '2. The cylinders 18, which are adapted to receivecompressed air, are shown mounted in bearings 19, attached to thefloor-section 10 of the car; but the cylinders may be supported bybrackets or sockets secured to the sides of the car, if desired. Eachcylinder is provided at its upper end with a vent 21 for the escape ofair when the piston-head 20 ascends, and a spring 22 is preferablylocated between the upper head of each cylinder l8 and the piston 20 inthe said cylinder. These springs serve a dual purpose. They act ascushions for the piston-heads gwhen the said heads reach the end oftheir upper stroke, and the springs also act to start the piston headsand rods downward when a platform is to be lowered.

Air-delivery pipes 23 enter the cylinders 18 at their lower ends, thecylinders at each side of a car being connected by one pipe which isusually arched over or carried above the upper sill of a sidedoor-opening. These airdelivery pipes 23 are connected by branch pipes24 with an air-supply pipe 25, and this air-supply pipe is usuallyin itsturn connected with an air-reservoir 26, located at any convenient pointin the car, and the supplypipe 25 is carried down through the bottom 10of the car and is connected with a drainpipe 27; but within the car theair-supply pipe 25 is provided with a stop-cock 28 and a check-valve 29,the stopcock being closed when the reservoir 26 has been supplied andopened when the said reservoir is to be recharged.

The platforms are held in their upper positions by means of lockingdevices operated from the interior of the car. In the drawings theselocking devices consist of an arm 30, pivoted to the bottom portion ofthe car and having a spur with an inclined longitudinal edge, which spurat its upper edge is adapted to engage with the under surface of aplatform, the spur extending through an opening 30 in the casing 15. Thearm 30 at its lower end is pivotally connected by a link 31 with amember of a bell-crank lever 32, the other end of which bell-crank leveris connected with a spring-controlled rod which extends up through thefloor into the car and is preferably provided at its upper end with afoot-plate 33. When. this foot-plate 33 is pressed downward, thelocking-arm 30 is carried away from the platform with which its spur wasin engagement, and the platform is thus free to drop. When the platformis raised, it strikes the inclined surface of the spur on a locking-arm30 and forces the said arm out of its path until the upper position ofthe platform is reached, when the straight upper surface of the spurwill engage with the undersurface of the platform as the locking-armautomatically readjusts itself.

In order that the movement at each end of the platform shall be uniformno matter what weight is carried by the platform, a rack 34 is attachedto each platform at each end, and these racks extend up through suitableopenings in the bottom 10 of the car or vehicle. The teeth of the racks34 engage with pinions 35. These pinions are secured on parallel shafts36, located at the bottom of the car at each side of a casing 15, asshown in Fig. 3, the shafts being mounted in suitable bearings 36. Theshafts 36 are placed in communication and operate together through themedium of connecting-shafts 37, journaled in suitable bearings 37,usually attached to the inner sill of the car, as is also shown in Fig.3, and the connecting-shafts 37 are provided with a bevel-pinion 38 ateach end, arranged to mesh with corresponding pinions 39, carried by theinner ends of the shafts 36. Thus it will be observed that a platformwhen raised or lowered has perfect vertical movement with littlefriction and that a platform may be manipulated conveniently andexpeditiously. In manipulating a platform if the platform be in itslower position (shown at the left in Fig. 2) and said platform is to beraised with or without a load a three-way valve 41 is brought into play,one of which valves is located in each branch pipe 24, and each of thesevalves is provided with a vent 42. The valve belonging to the platformto be raised is opened to admit compressed air to the cylinders 18, alsobelonging to the platform to be elevated, and the platform will beimmediately carried upward and locked automatically in its upperposition flush with the floor of the car. The valve is then turned toshut off the supply of compressed air and is further turned to open thevent. t2 and permit the air that is in the cylinders 18 below thepiston-heads 20 to escape. YVhen the platform is to be lowered, it istherefore simply necessary to disengage the platform from its lockingdevice, whereupon the weight of the platform or the accumulated weighton the platform will cause it to descend, guided or directed by therack-andpinion mechanism above mentioned.

In Fig. 45 I have illustrated a slight modification in the constructionof the platform, in which the platform is provided with anextension-leaf 40, hinged to the bottom of the platform and capable ofbeing folded on the upper surface of the platform when not needed. Whenthis extension-leaf is used, the platform is recessed to receive theleaf when folded, so that the upper surface of the leaf when folded onthe platform will be flush with the upper surface of the main or bodyportion of the platform. I desire it to be also understood that any formof scale attachment may be permanently attached to or removablyconnected with the platform, so that baggage or other articles to beraised or lowered by the platform to or from a car may be weighed andthe weight accurately read.

The construction above described is an improvement upon the constructionset forth in Letters Patent granted to me, No. 565,711, dated August 11,1896, and No. 584,800, dated June 22, 1897.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. In a package or baggage handler, a platformhaving vertical movement, guides for the packages and baggage placed onthe platform, and a regulating rack and pinion at opposite sides of theplatform, which regulating devices hold the platform in a truehorizontal position when said platform is dropped or elevated, withoutinterfering with the vertical movement of the platform.

2. In a package or baggage handler, a vehicle, a platform havingmovement to and' from the floor of the vehicle, a locking device for theplatform, a release for the locking device, and an equalizing mechanismat opposite sides of the platform, carried partially by the platform andpartially by the vehicle.

3. In a package or baggage handler, a vehicle, a source of air-supply, acylinder located within the vehicle and connected with the source ofair-supply, and means for regulating the flow of air to the cylinder, aplatform forming a portion of the floor of the car, a guide for thematerial on the platform, a piston-rod attached to the platform, whichpiston-rod enters the cylinder and is provided with a head within thecylinder, the air-supply to the cylinder being at a point below thehead, and a regulating mechanism for the platform, consisting of racksattached to the platform, piuions carried by the vehicle and engagingwith the said rack, and means for establishing communication between thepinions, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a package or baggage handler, the combination, with a vehicle,air-cylinders located within the vehicle, pistons located in thecylinders and extending beyond one end, means for supplying air to thecylinders at a point below the piston-heads, devices for controlling theair-supply, and a cushion between a head of the cylinder and the head ofthe piston, of a platform forming a portion of the fioor of the vehicleand capable of vertical movement, a positive connection between thepistons of the cylinders and the platform, a locking device for theplatform, adapted to hold it in an upper position, a release for thelocking device, and a regulating mechanism located at opposite sides ofthe platform and serving to hold the platform in a horizontal positionduring its vertical movement, as set forth.

5. In a package or baggage handler, the combination, with a vehicle,air-cylinders located within the vehicle, pistons located in thecylinders and extending beyond one end, means for supplying air to thecylinders at a point below the piston-heads, devices for controlling theair-supply, and a cushion between the head of a cylinder and the head ofa piston, of a platform forming a portion of the floor of the vehicle,capable of vertical movement, a guide for the material on the platform,a positive connection between the pistons of the cylinders and theplatform, a looking device for the platform, adapted to hold it in anupper position, a release for the looking device, racks secured atopposite sides of the platform, which racks pass through the floor ofthe vehicle, shafts mounted on the vehicle at opposite sides of theplatform, pinions carried by said shafts, and engaging with the saidracks, and shafts arranged to connect the pinion-shafts, for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE HENRY WALL.

Witnesses:

LOUIS R. BISHOP, ELMER E. TRAUTMAN.

